Monthly Archives: June 2016

How they reached the quarter finals?

icelandThe beginning of the brightest era of the Icelandic football was set in 2012, when the team made a terrific performance in the qualifications for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Iceland finished in second position of their preliminary group and took part in the playoffs against Croatia, but lost 0-2 on aggregate. However, The Vikings recorded some amazing results, including a 4-4 draw against Switzerland away from home. They were losing 4-1, but managed to equalize in the end of the game.

To continue with, Iceland were in a very tough qualifying group for the Euro 2016, alongside with the teams of Turkey, Czech Republic, Holland, Kazakhstan and Latvia. They achieved 6 victories and 2 draws of their 10 matches (including 2 wins against Holland, and victories against Czech Rep. and Turkey) and qualified for a major international tournament for the first time in their history. Eidur Gudjohnsen, who retired from international football in 2013, decided to return to the team in 2015, which boosted further the confidence of the team.

The success of the national team is particularly because of the “football houses”, which have been built in the country. Because of the harsh weather is almost impossible the players to practice outdoors and this led to the idea of the indoors stadiums. The first “football house” has been built in 2000 in Keflavik. Nowadays, there are 11 “football houses” in Iceland, but 4 of them are still under construction.

There are lots of interesting individuals in the squad, such as the goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson, who is one of the best directors of advertisement in his country. He is currently playing for the Norwegian side Bodo / Glimt, but he proved he is a world class goalkeeper! The coach of the team – Heimir Hallgrimsson is the most popular dentist in Iceland. But, he proved he has also a great understanding of football!

About 10 % of the population of Iceland (which is near 330 k. people) are in France at the moment and hope the team can repeat Greece’s performance from 2004. But, the thing I can say for Iceland is that the team looks even stronger than Greek team from 2004.

The most impressive in Iceland performance is that the team creates goal-scoring chances from nothing! Every throw-in, which is near to the opposite goal is even more dangerous than a corner kick. Sigthorsson has won the biggest number of aerial duels at the Euro 2016!

Iceland have played 26 competitive games since 2012. They have won 13 of them and have only lost on 6 occasions. The team has kept a clean sheet 9 times in these games, showing a really good performance in defence. But, the most important thing is that Iceland can take advantage of their goal-scoring chances. They are good when playing on counter attacks and know how to use the set-pieces. Gylfi Sigurdsson is one of the leaders in the team. He is technically gifted and easily converts the free-kicks into goals!

The way Iceland score goals:

Long throw-ins (5) – 2012 – 1 vs. Norway, 1 vs. Albania; 2014 – 1 vs. Czech Rep.; 2016 – 1 vs. Austria, 1 vs. England;

Free kicks (5) – 2012 – 1 vs. Albania, 1 vs. Slovenia; 2014 – 1 vs. Latvia; 2015 – 1 vs. Kazakhstan, 1 vs. Latvia;

Penalties (4) – 2013 – 1 vs. Slovenia; 2014 – 1 vs. Holland; 2015 – 1 vs. Holland; 2016 – 1 vs. Hungary;

Corners (3) – 2014 – 1 vs. Turkey, 1 vs. Holland; 2015 – 1 vs. Czech Rep.

Open play (23) – 2012 – 1 vs. Norway; 2013 – 2 vs. Slovenia (in 2 matches), 4 vs. Switzerland (in one match), 2 vs. Albania (in one match), 2 vs. Cyprus (in one match); 1 vs. Norway; 2014 – 2 vs. Turkey, 2 vs. Latvia; 2015 – 2 vs. Kazakhstan, 1 vs. Czech Rep., 1 vs. Latvia; 2016 – 1 vs. Portugal, 1 vs. Austria, 1 vs. England;

They don’t know what are they talking about…

Roy HodgsonThe fans can enjoy the great football at the Euro 2016, but they can also have fun with the funniest coaches’ and footballers’ comments. I don’t know why they are saying such things, maybe because of the extremely hot weather… So, here is my ranking of the funniest comments:

№13 – “Joachim Low has some world-class players in his squad – a forward like Muller, a goalkeeper like Neuer and there is Ozil, who is great, but when he wants to play,” Noel Gallagher, who is an English musician, said.

№12 – “None!” – Gareth Bale answered the question “How many English players have the qualities to wear the Dragons’ shirt?”

№11 – “I feel that Paris already misses me. It’s been raining since I left. Now I’m back and there is a sunshine again,” Zlatan Ibrahimovic said in an interview before Sweden’s first game of the group stage.

№10 – “They don’t give us chips and coke! They give us only sausages and cheese, but without fats!” That was Andre Schurrle’s comment about the diet German players keep.

№9 – “I thought my hair was going to fall off! I was very constrained before the first game,” Adil Rami said.

№8 – “We would recommend Ronaldo to look in the mirror… Oh wait, he already spends a few hours a day in front of it…” – The Guardian about Ronaldo’s arrogant behaviour.

№7 – “I feel I am younger than ever, until I go near a mirror,” the oldest coach at the Euro 2016 – Roy Hodgson said.

№6 – “I feel the lack of the Dutchmen! The reason is that we always beat them!” – Oliver Bierhoff’s comment about the Holland national team’s failure in the qualifiers.

№5 – “We share the household chores. She does everything – I do the rest,” Vladimir Petkovic said about his beloved wife Lilyana.

№4 – “If there had been something between us – he would have already been hospitalized,” Zlatan said about Chiellini for the match between Sweden and Italy.

№3 – “They were playing with 20 men in defence! It’s normal to be laboured against such team,” Mesut Ozil said after the match between Germany and Poland.

№2 – “I am scratching my balls and I am sure that 80% of you are scratching your balls!” – Lukas Podolski defended his head coach Joachim Low.

And here is our big winner: №1 – “I hope ‘Puma’ won’t start producing condoms,” the Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri commented the 7 torn shirts against France.

Review of British teams’ performance in the group stage

uk teamsEngland:

The Three Lions aren’t meeting the expectations, even though they proceeded to the Round of 16 (being quite lucky). They failed to top their group, winning only one of 3 matches. England struggle to score its chances and logically found the net on only 3 occasions in the first 3 games of the Euro 2016.

Roy Hodgson made everything possible to knock his team out of the tournament, not picking Vardy, letting Kane to take the corners, using defensive tactics against weaker opponents and so on. However, somehow England found their place in the knockout stage of the competition. The Three Lions will play against Iceland, but if England underestimate the Icelanders, Hodgson’s players will fly early for home.

Wales:

The Dragons were one of the most impressive performers from the beginning of the competition. Gareth Bale scored in every single game of the group stage, helping his teammates win their tough group. But, the most important thing is that Wales showed a team spirit, proving they don’t rely only on their world class forward Bale. The Dragons showed their best performance against Russia in the third match of the group stage and won 3-0. They gave the Russians no chance, creating lots of goal-scoring chances and defending on world class level. Wales are now lucky to be in the flow with the weaker teams. The Dragons managed to avoid all the strong teams like Germany, France, Italy and Spain, so they can even dream of something bigger!

Northern Ireland:

Surprisingly, Northern Ireland found their place in the Round of 16. The Norn Iron won 3 points, recording a magnificent 2-0 victory against Ukraine. In addition, Northern Ireland played very well against the world champions Germany and lost 0-1, but the team showed its qualities and deservedly qualified for the knockout stage. So, we can say Northern Ireland fans can be happy with the performance, even if the team doesn’t reach the quarter finals of the tournament. It seems

Rep. of Ireland:

A late Robbie Brady’s goal against Italy qualified The Green Army to the Round of 16. The game against The Azzurri was very impressive for Martin O’Neill’s players. They played perfectly in defence and outsmarted the Italians. The Green Army looked very disciplined on the pitch and deserved their place in the knockout round. Now, they will have very difficult task in the Round of 16 against the host nation France. However, The Green Army will be looking for a revenge for Henry’s handball in the playoffs for the World Cup 2010.

Round of 16:

England vs. Iceland

France vs. Rep. of Ireland

Wales vs. Northern Ireland

The strange ones

strange playersThere are lots of strange personalities among the players and the coaches at the Euro 2016. And their fates are increasingly exciting for the audience, which is bored by the goalless games so far.

To begin with, the Icelanders – 9% of their 323 K. population are now in France with the team. Their goalkeeper and hero from the first two matches Hannes Halldorsson works as a director, who has shot the best commercials in Iceland over the last 3 years. The coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is a well-known dentist in his small homeland. But, obviously he also knows how to stop Cristiano Ronaldo!

The Welsh goalkeeper Owain Williams doesn’t only paint, but his paintings cost money. His works coincidentally went on exhibition right on the opening day of UEFA Euro 2016. Of course, not all players are lofty types. For example, the Northern Irish Josh Magennis had been moving between heaven and hell, as well as from the living room into the kitchen at home. 9 years ago, he was a promising goalkeeper in the amateur league. He caught the eyes of many clubs, one of which was Cardiff City. After signing a good contract, the talent suddenly began to drink and refused to live a normal life. And one day, just as suddenly decided to return, but he changed his position on the pitch, becoming a striker. He plays now alongside with his teammate Conor Washington, who used to be a postman.

The Polish player Kamil Grosicki admits that he was a heavy drinker and a problem gambler. He often got drunk and was late for training, despite he lived on the territory of the stadium… But, what are you going to say about his performance now?

Wesley Hoolahan (Rep. of Ireland) was also against the regime. He just loved eating hamburgers. During his early years, he played with talent and overweight. But, once he has given his word to his beloved wife and has changed his lifestyle… And look at him now – he scored a goal in the Euro 2016.

Another interesting story is Gaziano Pelle’s life. The Italian striker decided to retire from professional football 5 years ago, becoming a woodworker. However, his friends stopped him and see what happened. He is now key Italian player at the European championship.

Turkey’s new talent – Emre Mor, who is now 18 years old, has grown up in deprivation in the immigrant community in Denmark. Now, he has already signed a contract with Borussia Dortmund and is playing for his country at the Euro 2016.

And finally, Ashley “The Iron Man” Williams of Swansea City and Wales is our last hero of the day. He was expelled from two football academies, which called him completely incompetent. However, he started a normal life and worked as a waiter and a handyman at a gas station. But at his new working place, he was even more unreliable. “I was the worst waiter in the world,” Williams said. The defender didn’t stop playing football, and look at him now – he is a legend of Swansea City and a captain of his country at the European championship!

A superb performance by Wales

Russia WalesThe debutants Wales smashed Russia 3-0 after a sensational performance in the final match of the Group B. The Dragons finished with 6 points and won the group, leaving the teams of England (5 pts.) and Slovakia (4 pts.) behind them. The Russians became the second team to leave the championship, after collecting only 1 point in 3 games. The victory for Wales means that the team is going to play against one of the third-placed teams of group A (Albania), C (Poland or Northern Ireland) or D (Croatia or Czech Republic). The Three Lions are going to face the second best team in group F (all the teams of this group are still involved in the battle for this place). To continue with, Slovakia are surely going to find their place in the Round of 16, even though they left in the 3rd place of their group.

The Fans at the stadium in Toulouse saw one of the most brilliant matches in the history of Welsh football. Aaron Ramsey opened the score in the 11th minute. Just nine minutes later Neil Taylor doubled, and in the 67th minute Bale, himself, also sent the ball into the net. He managed to set a new record, scoring the biggest number of goals for his country at a major tournament.

The head coach of Russia, Leonid Slutsky replaced all of his three central midfielders, betting on Denis Glushakov, Pavel Mamayev and Roman Shirokov. Dmitri Kombarov started as a left fullback. Sam Vokes was the only change in Wales’ starting eleven.

Real Madrid’s superstar Gareth Bale could open the score in the first minute of the game, when advanced into the penalty area and took a shot with his left foot, but Igor Akinfeev saved. Then, the Russians tried pressing higher and that worked for about 10 minutes, but in the 11th minute Joe Allen assisted brilliantly to Aaron Ramsey, who left one-on-one with the keeper and lobbed him, to score the first goal of the game. 1-0 in Wales’ favour!

The Russians seemed to be very confused after the goal and The Dragons took advantage of the situation. In the 20th minute, Gareth Bale dribbled the ball through the centre of the pitch, a Russian defender touched it and unfortunately for his team found the left fullback Neil Taylor of Swansea City, who had no problems to score the second goal of the game.

However, Wales was simply better than their opponents and created many goal-scoring chances (mainly on counter attacks). During the second half, Bale had the chance to shoot from a free-kick, but he couldn’t repeat his attempts from the first two games (against Slovakia and England). The forward eventually found the net in the 67th minute. Aaron Ramsey made a great pass, Sam Vokes was in offside position but he didn’t play with the ball. Gareth Bale ran on the left flank, took the ball and scored with the outside part of his left foot. 3-0!

Perisic was awesome! Croatia won their group!

croatia spainCroatia showed a superb performance against the defending European champions Spain. Ante Cacic’s players deservedly won the match and finished at the top of their Group D, sending the Spaniards in the most difficult flow of the tournament. So, Spain will have to play against Italy in the Round of 16 and if La Furia Roja proceed to the quarter finals they will probably face Germany. Then, Del Bosque’s players can meet either England or France.

However, the game in Bordeaux started very well for Spain. David Silva found Cesc Fabregas in the box, who passed to Morata and the forward had no troubles to find the net from about 1 metre in the 7th minute. A few minutes later the winger Nolito had a chance to double the score, but his shot went wide. The Croatians created their first goal-scoring situation in the 12th minute, when the striker Kalinic took a shot from a distance, but De Gea tipped the ball away. Then, Perisic also had a chance to score, but he couldn’t find the target with his header.

Croatia gained more confidence and started playing better than their opponents. David De Gea made a terrible mistake and gave the chance Ivan Rakitic to shoot at an empty goal. The midfielder didn’t hesitate much, but he hit the bar and the post at the same time.

Just seconds before the whistle for the end of the first half, Ivan Perisic (the best player on the pitch) crossed the ball perfectly and Kalinic touched it with his back heel to equalize the score – 1-1.

During the second half of the game, Ramos had the biggest goal-scoring chances, but his header shot went inches wide. Then, his shot from the penalty spot was saved by the Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic in the 72nd minute of the match.

There were 2 minutes left of the regular time, when Croatia made a great counter attack. Rakitic passed to Kalinic in the centre of the field, he dribbled with the ball and passed it to Perisic on the left. Inter’s winger took a powerful low shot and found the net. 2-1 for Croatia!

This result means that Croatia are going to play against B3 (Slovakia)/E3 (Sweden, Belgium or Rep. of Ireland)/F3 (all the teams still have chances for this place). And if the Croatians record a victory against one of these teams, they will meet the winner of the game between Poland and Switzerland in the quarter finals, which sounds much better than playing against Italy, Germany, France and England. So, no wonder if Croatia achieve something big at the Euro 2016!

Learn the history of the European championships

France 1960

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The first ever European championship has been held in France in 1960. Only 4 teams have taken part in the tournament and it has started directly from the semi-finals. All the other stages of the competition have been a part of the qualifying campaign. The 4 semi-finalists were Czechoslovakia, France (hosts), the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The rules of the qualifiers have also been different. There has been a preliminary round, in which Czechoslovakia have won 4-2 on aggregate against Republic of Ireland. The next stage has been called “1st round”, followed by the quarterfinals. The most interesting fact is the qualification of the Soviet Union. They have secured their place at the Euro 1960, because the Spaniards have refused to travel to the Soviet Union. However, The Red Army have eventually become the first ever European champions after a 3-0 victory against Czechoslovakia in the semi-finals and a 2-1 victory against Yugoslavia in the final match after extra time. Viktor Ponedelnik has scored the winning goal in the 113th minute of the final match. It’s interesting that his last name means “Monday”. The third place has been won by Czechoslovakia

  1. Soviet Union
  2. Yugoslavia
  3. Czechoslovakia

Spain 1964

The rules of the Euro 1964 have been the same as in 1960. So, again only 4 teams have taken part in the finals. The biggest surprise of the qualifying campaign has been the team of Luxembourg, which has reached the quarterfinals after a draw and a victory against Holland. Then, The Red Lions have played a playoff against Denmark after 2 draws against The Red Dynamite, but Luxembourg have lost it 0-1 and that’s how Denmark have reached the semi-finals. The Soviet Union’s team has been among the best in the world at that time. The Red Army have reached the final on second consecutive occasion, but this time the host nation Spain has won the final.

  1. Spain
  2. Soviet Union
  3. Hungary

Italy 1968

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This time the qualifying system was different (8 groups and the winners of them play at the quarterfinals). This time 2 new teams reached the finals. The Euro 1968 is the first European championship for England. The Three Lions won qualifying group 8, leaving behind them the teams of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Then, England beat twice Spain to find their place in the semi-finals of the competition. Unfortunately, England lost to Yugoslavia 0-1, but won the third place after a victory against the Soviet Union. Geoff Hurst and Bobby Charlton found the Soviet Union’s net in the 3rd place playoff. But what is more interesting? Italy, who eventually became the European champions were close to be eliminated in the quarterfinals, where they lost the first leg to Bulgaria 2-3. The Italians won the second leg 2-0 and found their place in the semi-finals. Then, Italy had a huge luck again. The match against the Soviet Union finished with a 0-0 draw. And the winner was decided by a coin toss.

“I went up with the Russian captain. We went down to the dressing rooms together, accompanied by two administrators from the two teams. The referee pulled out an old coin and I called tails. It was the right call and Italy were through to the final. I went racing upstairs as the stadium was still full and about 70,000 fans were waiting to hear the result. My celebrations told them that they could celebrate an Italian victory,” Facchetti said. That’s how Italy reached the final match against Yugolavia, which they won after a replay (with luck again). They equalized to 1-1 in the 80th minute of the final and won the replay 2-0.

  1. Italy
  2. Yugoslavia
  3. England

Belgium 1972

That was the fourth consecutive European championship for the Soviet Union. However, the Russians could never repeat their results from 1960. Belgium and West Germany made their debuts at the European championships in 1972 and the Germans made a remarkable performance, winning their first European title, after 2-1 victory against the host nation Belgium in the semi-finals and a smashing 3-0 victory against the Soviet Union in the final match. We have to say that England were very close to qualify, but lost 1-3 on aggregate to the then-champions West Germany.

  1. West Germany
  2. Soviet Union
  3. Belgium

Yugoslavia 1976

The first hat-trick in the European championship’s history was scored at the Euro 1976. Dieter Muller of West Germany was his author in German’s victory at the semi-finals against Yugoslavia. However, West Germany eventually lost the final to Czechoslovakia on penalties, after finishing with a 2-2 draw. This result is one of the biggest surprises at the European championships ever. The glorious victory for Czechoslovakia came after Panenka took his cheeky penalty, which secured the title. The Euro 1976 was the first European championship, in which the Soviet Union couldn’t qualify. The Russians were defeated in the quarterfinals from the then-champions Czechoslovakia (4-2 on aggregate).

  1. Czechoslovakia
  2. West Germany
  3. Holland

Italy 1980

The Euro 1980 was the first extended European championship, as the number of the qualified teams doubled to 8. That was also the first occasion when the host nation qualified automatically, without taking part in the qualifiers. Except the host nation, the winners in the 7 qualifying groups found their places in the Euro 1980.

However, the rules of the final tournament were again very different from nowadays’ regulations. There were 2 groups, as the winner of which played in the final match. The second best teams in both groups took part in the 3rd place playoff. Another different thing is the pointing system, which was giving 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. England recorded 2nd appearance at the European championships, but The Three Lions couldn’t make it to the final. After a 1-1 draw against Belgium, England lost 0-1 to the host nation Italy. In the third game, The Three Lions beat Spain 2-1.

The final was a repetition of the semi-final match of the Euro 1972. West Germany beat Belgium 2-1 with a great strike by Hrubesch in the last minutes of the game. It’s interesting that the 27 goals of the tournament were scored by 22 different players.

  1. West Germany
  2. Belgium
  3. Czechoslovakia

France 1984

The rules were changed again, as the best two teams of the two groups proceeded to the semi-finals. There was also no match for the third place.

To continue, this European championship will be remembered with the incredible performance of the former UEFA president – Michel Platini. The forward scored in France’s every single game of the tournament. In addition, he bagged two hat-tricks and became the top goal-scorer of the Euro 1984 with 9 goals. France were simply the best team at this tournament. The Blues beat Denmark (1-0), Belgium (5-0), Yugoslavia (3-2), Portugal (3-2) and Spain (2-0 in the final).

  1. France
  2. Spain

Losing semi-finalists: Denmark and Portugal

West Germany 1988

The first and only European title for Holland, won by the Dutchman at the Olympiastadion in Munich. A remarkable performance by Ruud Gullit and the star forward Marco van Basten, who scored a classic volley in the final match against the Soviet Union. The other hero for Holland was the goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen, who saved Igor Belanov’s shot from the penalty spot. Marco van Basten became the top goal-scorer of the tournament, netting 5 goals. Van Basten scored 3 of his goals in England’s net. However, The Three Lions finished on the bottom of their group with 0 points, which was a complete disappointment for the nation.

On the other hand, the Soviet Union became the country with the biggest number of lost finals. After the success in 1960, The Red Army lost 3 final matches.

  1. Holland
  2. Soviet Union

Losing semi-finalists: Italy and West Germany

Sweden 1992

UEFA Euro 1992 in Sweden had one of the most surprising denouements in history of football. The whole story began when UEFA disqualified Yugoslavia, because of the breakup of the country and the war at that time. Denmark, which team finished in 2nd place in the qualifying group took the place of Yugoslavia. No one has expected anything of the Danish team. The head coach Richard Møller Nielsen has urgently selected the players, who have already been on a vacation. By the way, Nielsen has been criticized a lot before the start of the European championship.

However, Denmark started with a 0-0 draw against England and again at this stage no one could believe what are the Danish players going to achieve. Then, the host nation Sweden recorded a minimal 1-0 victory against The Red Dynamite and it looked like Denmark will head for home after the third match of their group against the favourites France. But, as a joke, Denmark recorded an incredible 2-1 victory against France and took the second place of their group, as England lost 2-1 to Sweden.

The next heroic moment for Nielsen’s players was in the semi-finals against the defending champions Holland. At the end of the match the score was 2-2, so both teams needed to take penalties, in order to decide who goes to the final. Surprisingly, Marco van Basten missed from the penalty spot and sent Denmark in the final for the first and only time in their history.

Surprise after surprise at the Euro 1992… In the final match, John Jensen, who had scored less than 15 goals in his overall career, opened the score. The defensive midfielder found the net with a clinical finish from about 20 metres. Vifort scored the second goal for Denmark against Germany, 12 minutes before the final whistle. But the real hero for the Red Dynamite was the legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who made over 10 saves against Klinsmann and co.

  1. Denmark
  2. Germany

Losing semi-finalists: Sweden and Holland

England 1996

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The first European championship in England in 1996 was one of the most glorious for The Three Lions. There was a new rule, which included 8 more teams in the final tournament, so the total number of the teams became 16. England had a very strong team. Alan Shearer (who became the top goal-scorer with 5 goals), Paul Gascoigne, Paul Ince and Teddy Sheringham were part of the English squad at the Euro 1996.

England recorded a draw against Switzerland (1-1) on the opening day. But, then The Three Lions showed really good performance and smashed Scotland and Holland, to find their place at the quarterfinals. In the knockout stage, the task was far from easy. But, England beat Spain on penalties after 0-0 draw in the regular time. But, we all know that England are always unlucky against the Germans, and Germany beat The Three Lions on penalties to find their place in the final.

Surprisingly, the other finalist was the Czech Republic, but they had a very good team and reaching the final for them wasn’t accidentally. Karel Poborsky scored one of the most amazing goals in the tournament in the 1-0 victory against Portugal after a great lob shot from about 20 metres. Other key players in Czech Republic’s team were Pavel Nedved, Patrik Berger, Kadlec and many other quality footballers.

The Czech Republic were about to make another surprise at the European championship after Patrik Berger scored from the penalty spot against Germany in the 59th minute of the final match. Then, the German head coach Berti Vogts played Oliver Bierhoff. The forward equalized just 4 minutes after he came from the bench and led the match to extra time. In the 95th minute, Bierhoff again took a shot towards Kouba’s goal and the goalkeeper made a terrible mistake, allowing the striker to find his net again. There was the rule for “golden goal”, which meant Germany won the game after their goal in the extra time.

  1. Germany
  2. Czech Republic

Losing semi-finalists: England and France

Belgium & Holland 2000

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UEFA Euro 2000 was the first European championship, which was held in two countries. Both, Belgium and Holland, qualified as co-hosts. England also find their place at the tournament, after a 2-0 victory in the playoffs against Scotland with 2 goals, scored by Paul Scholes.

England led by 2-0 against Portugal in the first match of the group stage, but eventually lost 2-3. However, Alan Shearer secured a 1-0 victory against the defending European champions Germany, which meant that The Three Lions need just 1 point against the underdogs Romania. But Phil Neville made a stupid foul in the box which was crucial for the final score of 3-2 in Romania’s favour. Another huge disappointment for The Three Lions…

France become the champions of Europe for the second time in their history, but they were so lucky to do it with 2 golden goals (in the semi-final against Portugal and in the final match against Italy). The Frenchmen were about to lose the final against Italy, when, in the 3rd minute of the added time of the game Wiltord found Toldo’s net. Then, David Trezeguet scored an incredible golden goal and secured the second European title for the French team. Zinedine Zidane became the best player of the tournament.

  1. France
  2. Italy

Losing semi-finalists: Holland and Portugal

Portugal 2004

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Even more surprising than the Euro 1992, UEFA Euro 2004 was full of unexpected results. As an outcome, the total underdogs Greece lifted the trophy in their second ever participation at the European championships for everyone’s amusement. The Greeks started with a victory in the opening match against the host nation Portugal (2-1). Then, Greece surprised Spain, finishing with a 1-1, which was enough for them to go through the knockout stage. In the final game of the group stage, they lost 1-2 to Russia. However, Charisteas, then scored the only goal in the quarterfinal match against France. Otto Rehhagel’s players eliminated Czech Republic in the semi-finals, after Traianos Dellas goal in the extra time of the game.

The final match was a repetition of the first match of the group stage – Portugal against Greece. No one has expected that the Greeks can repeat their performance from the first match against the Portuguese team, in which there were names like Luis Figo, Deco, Pauleta, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo. But, Charisteas made the whole host nation cry, after he found the net in the 57th minute.

  1. Greece
  2. Portugal

Losing semi-finalists: Czech Republic and Holland

Austria and Switzerland 2008

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UEFA Euro 2008 was the beginning of Spain’s domination at international level. The Spaniards won their second major international tournament in 2008. La Furia Roja went unbeaten in their group, winning all of their 3 matches (against Russia, Sweden and Greece). Then, Spain beat Italy (on penalties), Russia (in the semi-finals) and Germany (1-0 in the final), before they lifted the most prestigious trophy in Europe.

However, the biggest surprise at the tournament were the teams of Russia and Turkey. The Russians beat Sweden and Greece in the group stage. Then, they won against Holland 3-1, with two goals, scored in the extra time of the match, before losing in the semi-finals against the then-champions Spain. The Turkish team was very close to reach the final, but lost at the semi-finals to Germany with Lahm’s goal in the very last minute of the match.

In conclusion, the Spaniards were just better than every other team in the competition. They scored 12 goals in 6 games. David Villa became the top goal-scorer with 4 goals.

  1. Spain
  2. Germany

Losing semi-finalists: Russia and Turkey

Poland & Ukraine 2012

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That was the second consecutive European title for Spain, and the 3rd for La Furia Roja. Their remarkable performance unimpeded lead them to the final match against Italy, won by the Spaniards with the smashing 4-0.

Holland were the disappointment of the tournament, finishing in 4th position of their group, losing all of their matches. Another big surprise in the tournament was that Italy found their place in the final match after a 2-1 victory against the favourites of Germany. Balotelli found the German net twice, before Ozil scored from the penalty spot in the last minute of the game.

Deservedly, Andres Iniesta became the best player of the tournament. The playmaker of Barcelona was simply unstoppable, after he had already boosted his confidence after winning the World Cup in 2010.

  1. Spain
  2. Italy

Losing semi-finalists: Portugal and Germany

Cigarettes and wine after the defeat…

locker roomWhat do you think the football players are doing in the locker room after a match? Well, it depends, which team they are playing for. For example, the Germans are parsimonious from an emotional point of view. The Mannschaft’s locker room was completely clean after the victory against Ukraine. There were no signs of any celebrations after the win. The only indication, that there has been humans in the locker room is the pack of ice, which has been left in the corner of the room.

However, this is the German team. They are known for their discipline. But, there are other teams, in which the players are left to do whatever they want. A journalist, has found several empty bottles of cheap wine, beer cans and 41 cigarette butts in the locker room of the Ukrainian team after the defeat to Germany.

But, this is not the most interesting case. The Romanian player Denis Alibec has been claimed that he had smoked a cigarette in the locker room during the match against France on the opening day of the Euro 2016. Of course, Romania coach denied that his player has smoked during the match and said that it is very difficult to be said what exactly was Alibec doing in the locker room… For sure, there is a man in Romania squad who can always give you a cigarette. Cosmin Moti is a heavy smoker and he may have given his teammate a cigarette. However, no one expects Moti to take part in the competition, so he can enjoy himself from the bench with a ken of beer and a cigarette in his other hand.

In conclusion, we have to say that the football players are also humans and they shouldn’t be judged that strictly. But I can’t explain to myself the behaviour of Joachim Low, who put his hand in his pants and then smelled it… I expected him only to eat his snots, but this time he surprised me a lot. However, this reminds me another one occasion with German player incurred himself. Do you remember when Jens Lehmann pissed during a match? I am waiting for more ridiculous situations, which I am definitely going to tell you.

Ciaran Clark – Sweden’s best forward

ireland swedenRepublic of Ireland showed a solid performance against Sweden in their first match of UEFA Euro 2016, but Martin O’Neill’s players recorded a 1-1 draw against The Blue-Yellow team. The Green Army were more active during the first half of the match. The experienced centre back John O’Shea was very close to get to the ball after a great cross in the box, but he couldn’t reach it. Jeff Hendrick made two good attempts towards Andreas Isaksson’s goal. Brady also tried his luck but his shot went over the bar. The midfielder, Hendrick, even was denied by the crossbar. So, the Swedes were happy that the score at the half time was 0-0.

Just 3 minutes after the break, Seamus Coleman showed great skills, going through the Swedish midfielder Forsberg on the right and crossed the ball perfectly. 34-year-old midfielder Wesley Hoolahan was totally unmarked in the box and sent the ball in the net with a very nice shot. 1-0!

Sweden needed about 50 minutes to show they can threaten Darren Randolph. But the Swedes won only several corners before the 70th minute. It seemed that they will have serious problem to find Randolph’s net. Ciaran Clark of Aston Villa was the only man to threaten the Republic of Ireland’s goal. His panic clearance led to a corner in the 49th minute. Then, after the cross Clark again hit the ball towards his own goal, but Randolph showed a great reflex, tipping the ball away to Forsberg, who shot wide. Ibrahimovic also tried his luck from a difficult position in the 60th minute, but his shot again couldn’t find the net. And guess who left Ibrahimovic to take the shot – Ciaran Clark…

The minute was 71st. Ibrahimovic passed back to Kallstrom. The midfielder found Forsberg. He passed to Guidetti in the box. Guidetti made a back heel pass to Ibrahimovic. The forward crossed the ball with power… And, it’s a goal! Ciaran Clark scored an own goal, becoming the man of the match for Sweden. The defender made the only two shots on target for Sweden during the game, and scored one of them.

If I were O’Neill, I would think if I am going to play Clark against Italy or Belgium… Or if he plays him, he must tell him to play in attack, or show him which he must attack… However, The Green Army showed a very good performance against Sweden and they have now gained confidence before the key battles against Italy and Belgium.

England’s players’ performance

England RussiaIn my opinion, Roy Hodgson made some crucial tactical errors. The Three Lions were better than the Russians and deserved to win the match, but sometimes the coaches make some stupid decisions, which cost the team the victory.

Joe Hart (GK)

Manchester City’s goalkeeper could have done better in the last minute, when the Russians found his net. He made only 1 save, but there were not many attempts towards his goal.

Kyle Walker (RB)

Walker was the best England’s player during the first half. His pace and skills created several goal-scoring chances for The Three Lions. Tottenham’s fullback also performed well in defence. He is in his best form and is very likely to start in the second match for England against Wales.

Chris Smalling (CB)

Smalling’s performance was perfect until the very last minute of the game, when he wasn’t well positioned and couldn’t help Hart keep his sheet clean. However, Smalling was good in the air and left the Russian forwards no chance until the added time of the match.

Gary Cahill (CB)

Cahill shouldn’t be blamed for Russia’s goal. He had a good night in Marseille. Cahill received a yellow card in the 62nd minute of the game. Chelsea’s centre back was brilliant in defence.

Danny Rose (LB)

The left fullback was more active during the second half, when England organized more attacks from the left flank. Rose made a great delivery to Rooney, who hit the bar in the second half. However, he let Berezutski score with a header in the 92nd minute, but Rose impressed with his performance at all.

Wayne Rooney (MC)

Rooney showed he can play everywhere on the pitch. He again proved he is a world class player. His playing style against Russia was very similar to Paul Scholes’ role at Manchester United. Rooney’s passing was at top level. He had an accuracy of more than 90 %. In addition, Rooney was close to score during the second half, when he hit the bar.

Eric Dier (MC)

Eric Dier’s performance against Russia was very impressive. Tottenham’s player scored England’s only goal of the game from a free-kick in the 73rd minute. He also had some key passes during the match. An excellent match for Dier.

Dele Alli (MC)

Most of the time Alli was invisible on the pitch. He needs improvement if he wants to be again in the starting eleven. Alli had an attempt on goal in the first minutes of the match, but his shot went wide.

Adam Lallana (RW)

Lallana of Liverpool can be blamed that England couldn’t score in the first half. He missed two clear chances for goal, created after great Walker’s dribbles. And even though Lallana was in an offside position after Rooney’s shot on bar, Adam couldn’t find the net again, hitting the post. It’s very strange why Hodgson left him on the field 90 minutes.

Raheem Sterling (LW)

Sterling showed he had a great desire to help his team win the match. Tireless, as usual, the winger ran after every ball. He was better during the first half and was substituted after the break. Not bad performance by Raheem Sterling.

Harry Kane (SC)

Harry Kane was not at his usual level. He could have done better. That’s why Hodgson should have given Vardy a chance to replace Kane during the second half. Oh, I almost forgot, why the hell Kane took all the corners – almost all his corners skipped all the players in the box…

Jack Wilshere (Substitution)

Wilshere has fantasy, but, in my opinion, he is still not ready to play on such a stage. Hodgson must have kept Rooney on the pitch until the final whistle.

James Milner (Substitution)

Milner was brought in to help England keep their lead. However, it happened completely the opposite, but Milner shouldn’t be blamed about anything.

In conclusion, players like Vardy, Barkley and Sturridge were given no chance to show their qualities. They deserve more than Wilshere to be brought in. When it’s obvious your striker can’t do something significant, then try Vardy… It will be extremely stupid if Hodgson not make any chances for the next game against Wales.

Uruguay is nothing without Suarez!

Uruguay are going home England: Hart, Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge.
Uruguay: Muslera, Cáceres, Giménez, Godín, Pereira, Álvaro González, Ríos, Lodeiro, Rodríguez, Cavani, Suárez.
Estadio Arena Corinthians de Sao Paulo, Brazil
Fifa Worldcup 2014[/caption]Uruguay lost their second match in the group stage of the Copa America to Venezuela (0-1) and The Sky Blues have already been eliminated from the tournament. Oscar Tabarez’s players created lots of goal-scoring chances, but couldn’t find the net against Venezuela. The main sinner for the defeat is, of course, Edinson Cavani. He has the ability to miss from impossible situations! Cavani had the chance to score at least a hat-trick against the Venezuelans, but he didn’t score a single goal! Tabarez, if I were you I would pick Cavani as a fullback! In my opinion, it’s better Uruguay to play with 10 men, instead of waiting Cavani to score. Even though, the forward has scored such a big number of goals, he is quite lucky. The correct word, which describes him best is “lame”, when he is in clear position. If I were his boss, wouldn’t pay him a penny!

However, Cavani is not the only player, who should be blamed for the defeat. All the Uruguayan players didn’t perform at their usual level. They conceded a very comical goal after Muslera’s positioning mistake and then all the players of Uruguay threw into attacks, but they could even have lost by more goals, because their playing style left to Venezuelans lots of free spaces, but Rafael Dudamel’s players didn’t take advantage of their good counter-attacks.

The superstar of the Uruguayan team – Luis Suarez was sent to warm up, but just 15 minutes later Tabarez told Suarez, he is not going to use him. The forward still has a hamstring problem, but he was ready to help his teammates. However, Luis Suarez was so angry, that he threw his shirt after arguing with his coach. And maybe Suarez was right, he could be very helpful to his team, even though he was injured… Tabarez’s excuse was that he won’t play someone who isn’t 100% fit, but sometimes you need to take risks. Okay then, just go home now!

Now, Uruguay will face Jamaica in their third game of the group stage, but they don’t have the chance to go through to the quarterfinals. So, The Sky Blues will have to focus on their performance in the qualifiers for the World Cup 2018. They are lying in 1st place with 13 points collected in 6 matches (4 victories, 1 draw and just 1 defeat).

FIFA made 95 changes in football rules

New football rulesFIFA has decided to make 95 changes in the football rules. The idea is the regulations to be updated, in order to be improved the quality of the games. So far in the history of football, there hasn’t been such major changes of the rules at once. The decision was taken by the FIFA’s board, which consists of 8 men. These changes will be tested next year, and FIFA will then decide which of them will remain permanently in the game. Also, the video replays will be tested in the next two seasons.
Most of the upcoming changes seem to be minor, but some of them will have a serious impact on how modern football looks.
Here are some of the most interesting upcoming changes in football rules:

1. If a player, who takes the penalty spots, and then continue again, he will be punished with a yellow card, and his opponent will be given a free-kick. Hesitation is permitted, but not completely stopping.

2. The referee will have the choice how to punish a team (it won’t be necessary to be applied the triple punishment for a foul in the box – a penalty, a red card and subsequent suspension of the rights of the player. Referees will have the opportunity to decide whether there is an intention in defender’s actions.

3. The referees will have the right to send off a player even before the match has started. In case they have noticed unsportsmanlike behaviour during the warm-up, they can send off the player immediately after the start of the match.

4. When providing medical assistance if within 20 seconds doctor and masseurs are able to raise the injured player, it will not be necessary the player to leave the pitch.

5. When kick-off, so far the players were obliged to kick the ball forward. They will be allowed to do so backwards that will only allow one player to take the kick-off.

6. Attacking team’s players won’t be able to be included in the wall when there is a free-kick.

7. Pauses for drinking water in hot weather should be included in the stoppage time of the game.

8. When there is a throw-in, the ball must be held equally firmly with both hands.

9. If a footballer’s shoe drop, he can continue to play without it until the game is stopped. The game will no longer be stopped immediately until the player put his shoe.

10. The players’ underwear should be with the same colour as his kit.

11. The referees can use the video replays in situations with red cards and penalties. But, the refs won’t use them when it’s up to offsides. The replays will be tested in a period of two years.

12. The teams will be allowed to make a fourth substitution, but only in games with extra time.

Vincent Janssen – the next van Nistelrooy

Vincent JanssenVincent Janssen was born on 15th June 1994 in Heesch, Holland. At the age of 15 he made the first big step in his development as a footballer. Janssen moved from NEC Nijmegen’s academy to Feyenoord U17. It’s very difficult to understand, how Feyenoord let such talented striker go. They just released the player. Almere City (2nd level of Dutch football) took advantage of the situation and got the forward for free in 2013.

The striker very quickly managed to win his place in the starting eleven of his new team and became a crucial part of Almere City’s attack. In his first season in professional football, Janssen bagged 10 goals in 35 league matches, being among the starting eleven in 25 of the games. The next season (2014/2015) was even more successful for the youngster. Vincent found the net on 19 occasions in 34 league games, helping Almere City finish in 11th position in the standings of Eerste Divisie. On 11th April 2015 Janssen scored the first hat-trick in his career, securing a 3-2 victory against Sparta Rotterdam. He also scored twice in the remarkable victory against ADO Den Haag for the Dutch Cup.

Immediately after his great performance for his club, Janssen was called in Holland’s U22 squad. He made 3 appearances, scoring twice.

That was enough for AZ Alkmaar to sign the talented striker. The Cheeseheads paid €400 K. for Vincent Janssen, which has recently become their most successful transfer. The forward scored 27 goals in 34 matches in the Eredivisie, becoming the top goal-scorer of the championship. He bagged a hat-trick against his former club Feyenoord, making them regret for letting him go. Then, Janssen made even more impressive performance against PEC Zwolle, scoring 4 goals in the match.

Vincent Janssen also took part in 10 matches in The Europa League for AZ Alkmaar and scored on 3 occasions. His remarkable performance won him a place in Holland’s U21 squad, where he bagged 6 goals in 5 games.

So, there were no other option, but a call-up for the Dutch national team. And Vincent Janssen showed that this was not a mistake. In his second game for the country, he found the net against England at Wembley! He has scored 2 goals in 4 games for Holland and is looking forward for more!

He has a great positioning and good finishing skills. The youngster is now a complete striker with over 70 goals in official games in his career so far.

Janssen is currently valued at €6 m. and it won’t be a surprise if one of the biggest teams pays AZ Alkmaar to sign the striker.